If concerns about duplicate content have got you up at night, Google wants you to return to bed and get some sleep. The search giant (re)addressed the issue this morning, and the average honest webmaster has little to worry about.
Duplicate content can exist on your site without any penalties occurring as a result, according to Sven Naumann, a member of Google's Search Quality Team. Just "[i]nclude the preferred version of your URLs in your Sitemap file," he recommends, since "this may help raise the likelihood of us serving the version you prefer."
As for the possibility that someone else will scrape your content, it's nothing to get an ulcer over. On the Webmaster Central Blog, Naumann continues, "When encountering such duplicate content on different sites, we look at various signals to determine which site is the original one, which usually works very well."
If a scraper should somehow manage to beat you in rankings, a quick inspection of your Sitemap file and check for accessibility may fix the situation.
More Google-approved information is available from Adam Lasnik and Vanessa Fox, but the takeaway here appears to be the company's recommendation of a "don't stress" attitude. Now shoot for that eight hours of rest per night ideal.
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Comments
So let me get this
So let me get this straight...
If I write original articles, but somebody decides to completely copy and paste all the stuff onto their website, google won't attack my website ranking?
Also:
what would happen if someone just copy and pasted my website article into their website?
Thanks!
RE: Google and Duplicate Content
Doug,
Thanks for the great article on duplicate content. However I have a couple of questions. You state the following:
"...Duplicate content can exist on your site without any penalties occurring as a result, according to Sven Naumann..."
I have heard similar responses, however the caeat has always been, 'duplicate content with the most backlinks always wins". What is your response to this?
I am also curious as to the meaning of duplicate content: do you infer someone stealing or scraping your content? For example, a webmaster copying and pasting an entire page of content or a robot programed to scrape paragraphs of blurbs from cyberspace?
Also, what about two eqully great webmasters with similar themes such as gardening using a PLR article and posting it directly on the home page?
Dave, your comments are appreciated!
Sincerely,
Daniel Tetreault.
Webmaster
http://www.uniquePLRproducts.com
Duplicate Content & Sleepless Nights on Google
Thanks Doug,
Glad to read those points on Duplicate Content
in Google. I do a lot of article marketing and
have always worried about this issue. In addition,
more than one site has scraped my original content
directly from my sites...
Unlike Gabriella I do worry about what Google
is doing since 80% of my online income comes
directly or indirectly from Google traffic. ;-(
Even moving down one spot in Google SERPs
means a direct cut in earnings... so any penalties
have to be taken seriously.
Google is the new plastic!
Cheers
Titus
www.bizwaremagic.com
Duplicate content
I have wondered about that. I write for several blogs and sometimes the articles get picked up by other blogs. Plus I upload them on my site for my readers to enjoy. I realize this may not be a "huge" amount of duplication but when is it considered going overboard.
As far as loosing sleep over what Google does, Pffffffftttt give me a break lolol :)
Thanks for your time and any response
Gabriella
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